NCM NewsFeed

Here and Now

This week, we lead our newsletter with Politics: a longview of federal elections due in Oct. 2015 and the big question about the “immigrant vote.” We spoke to an academic at the University of Toronto, Prof. Phil Triadafilopoulos, who’s spent years studying immigration and citizenship. He sees immigrants emerging as a major political force – one that will be reinforced in the elections next year.

Our trusted policy expert, Andrew Griffith, examined the uproar over “birth tourism” (or, “passport babies”) and came to the conclusion that both the government and the media exaggerated the extent of the problem. Of course, this resulted in overblown rhetoric, which has since died down.

The ripples created decades ago by Norman Bethune, the best-known Canadian in China, got fresh impetus with Beijing putting his legacy to work in a new kind of propaganda war against Japan. A medical pioneer and an ardent Communist, Dr. Bethune worked on the front lines of wars with fascist states in Spain and China. His name has now been added to a newly created list of heroes and martyrs in China’s battles against Japanese occupation.

Meanwhile, Canadian companies doing business in China are worried about the Asian giant experiencing an economic slowdown. A biennial survey showed that although most say their Chinese operations are profitable, fewer firms say they are making money compared to the response in 2012. The 2014 survey by the Asia Pacific Foundation shows that 43% of the companies surveyed view the risk of economic slowdown as a key change in the business environment in China over the last year.

The good news is that India, the other Asian giant, may offset the balance for Canadian businesses. The election of a new business-friendly government there offers them a chance to make up for lost investment time and opportunities. “There’s no question about it, we’re punching below our weight,” said Treasury Board president Tony Clement, who just wrapped up four days of talks with government officials and industry leaders in New Delhi and Mumbai.

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), the giant pension fund that makes private-equity investments, seems to have already sensed the opportunity. The fund, which manages $200 billion in assets globally and is also the largest pension fund investor in India, is planning to set up an India office. The proposed office will be the second for CPPIB in an emerging market, indicating the fund's growing focus on India where the economy is expected to turn around after two years of lacklustre growth.

Increasing Canadian presence in another kind of business is also causing ripples Down Under. The Australian Crime Commission reports that Canada ranks second after Chile as originating country for cocaine being brought in by drug traffickers. It climbed three spots since 2010.

On a more playful note, Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri, the Pakistani-Canadian cleric demanding the resignation of Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister, asked for something else last week. He wanted his supporters and residents of Islamabad to donate biscuits, chocolate, milk and cough syrup. He also requested cricket bats and balls. “I will play with you myself,” he reportedly promised the younger demonstrators.

Iranian-Canadian philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo is a prolific writer, with more than 10 books in three languages to his name, mostly on philosophical and political subjects, but his latest is more personal. Having lived abroad, in France and then Canada, for much of his adult life, Jahanbegloo had returned to Iran to teach when he was arrested under suspicion of launching a revolution. Thanks in part to the intervention of international governments and pressure brought by fellow scholars worldwide, he was finally released after four months in solitary confinement. After teaching in India for a spell, he returned to Canada and presently he teaches at the University of Toronto. In his new memoir, Time Will Say Nothing: A Philosopher Survives an Iranian Prison, Jahanbegloo remembers and reflects on his period as a political prisoner. An excerpt published in the Los Angeles Review of Books last year revealed a learned but tender voice, whose philosophical vocation is both a boon and a cross to bear in the harsh environment of the infamous Evin Prison. University of Regina Press will release the full memoir this fall. Its official launch will be celebrated in Toronto at Ben McNally Books on Bay Street on September 26.

Looking forward to the release of Time Will Say Nothing reminded us that Canada is about to celebrate the opening of the first museum dedicated exclusively to the history and future of human rights. The Canadian Museum of Human Rights (CMHR) opens its doors in Winnipeg this month, and there visitors will explore how the concept of human rights has evolved over time and hear stories about the struggle for universal freedoms in Canada and around the world. The CMHR’s inaugural weekend will be marked with RightsFest, a free festival at The Forks on September 20 and 21, featuring human rights-themed arts and performances and preview tours of the museum. If you’re not in Winnipeg but still want in on the fun, live coverage will be provided online and on television via APTN.

With that, have a great weekend and don’t forget to look up the next edition of NCM NewsFeed every Friday morning! We will soon be launching an e-mail version of this newsletter, so please subscribe by clicking here.

Publisher’s Note: This NewsFeed was compiled with input from our Newsroom Editors and regular columnist, Andrew Griffith. The home page image accompanying NewsFeed this week shows a sculpture of Norman Bethune at the University of Toronto, photographed by our Toronto Editor, Ranjit Bhaskar. We welcome your feedback.

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The honest truth is there is still reluctance around immigration policy... When we want to talk about immigration and we say we want to bring more immigrants in because it's good for the economy, we still get pushback.